Editing Word of Faith Fellowship (section)

==History== 
Word of Faith Fellowship began in 1979, when Jane Whaley, then a math teacher, and her husband Sam Whaley converted a former [[steakhouse]] into a chapel. Jane Whaley, the daughter of a plumber and a homemaker in rural North Carolina, led the group as it grew to a membership of 750.{{when|date=May 2023}} The group later added almost 2,000 followers in related churches in Brazil, Ghana, Scotland, Sweden and other countries.<ref name=Delay/><ref name=CEO>{{cite news|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/north-carolina/articles/2017-02-27/fiery-nc-church-leader-could-be-mistaken-for-successful-ceo|title=Fiery NC Church Leader Could Be Mistaken for Successful CEO|last=Weiss|first=Mitch|agency=Associated Press|via=U.S. News & World Report|date=February 27, 2017|access-date=July 3, 2017}}</ref><ref name=Gordon>{{cite news|url=http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/11/17/3673039/word-of-faith-fellowship-sees.html|title=Word of Faith Fellowship sees 'persecution' for a godly walk; critics see an abusive church|last=Gordon|first=Michael|work=[[The Charlotte Observer]]|date=November 19, 2012|archive-date=April 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130407045844/http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/11/17/3673039/word-of-faith-fellowship-sees.html}}</ref> Though Jane Whaley had no formal training in ministry, she was described as a compelling speaker and leader.<ref name="AP_27Feb2017">Associated Press. [https://www.apnews.com/afs:Content:752500045 Who Is Jane Whaley?], Feb 27, 2017</ref> The Whaleys' student from Rhema Bible College, Brooke Covington, is a minister in the church.<ref name=Schmidt/>{{relevance inline|date=May 2023}}

In Brazil, missionary John Martin started Ministerio Verbo Vivo  (Live Word) near [[Belo Horizonte]] in 1987 after serving as pastor of a [[Baptist]] church. Former members said in 2017 that the Whaleys and others from Spindale visited Martin's church after Martin met Sam Whaley in 1986. The Word of Faith Fellowship eventually developed a greater influence on the church. The church moved to [[São Joaquim de Bicas]] in 2005 and many members moved to [[Betim]].<ref name=Brazil/>

Solange Granieri and Juarez De Souza Oliveira met the Whaleys in São Paulo, and in 1988 they opened Ministerio Evangelico Comunidade Rhema (Rhema Community Evangelical Ministry) in [[Franco da Rocha]].<ref name=Brazil/> Jane Whaley began visiting the Brazilian churches frequently and members often visit the Spindale church.<ref name=Slaves/>

On April 27, 2020, an attorney for the church confirmed three members had died of [[COVID-19]] and that it was not known how many had the virus, though the church claimed to be "100 percent compliant" with guidelines released during [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|the pandemic]]. Because [[Rutherford County, North Carolina|Rutherford County]] had over 100 cases, a very high number for the population, some people blamed the church for the virus's spread, and the church received threats of violence.<ref>{{cite news|title=Threats that go viral|work=[[Greensboro News & Record]]|date=April 28, 2020|page=9A}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article242307531.html|title='Burn it to the ground.' Rumors over COVID-19 spur threats against church in rural NC|last=Gordon|first=Michael|work=The Charlotte Observer|date=April 26, 2020|access-date=May 6, 2020}}</ref>